


and now you're right here

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, a distinct lack of zayn, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2013-04-07
Packaged: 2017-12-07 17:38:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/751208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam doesn't mean to be late going home. It just sort of happens, completely accidental, really.  And it’s completely coincidence that he walks past the auditorium just as a certain Louis Tomlinson is leaving Drama club. Honest.</p><p>Or the one where Liam has a crush and Louis just might have one too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	and now you're right here

**Author's Note:**

> So, hi. This is the first fic I've posted here and I guess we'll see if it reflects that. Title is from Until Then by Relient K. All mistakes are my own. Enjoy!

“You’re proper gone for him aren’t you?” Harry asks one day at lunch, the first one to _really_ notice that Liam is (definitely not) staring at Louis.

“Hmm?” Liam hums, not looking away, because he has barely any dignity left as it is.

“Never mind, you keep daydreaming about sucking Tomlinson off, I can wait.”

Liam starts _choking_ and gives Harry the most dejected look any human has ever made. Niall claps him on the back. There’s a few seconds where he thinks Liam might actually suffocate, but then he’s gasping in a breath and letting his head drop into his salad. “It’s that obvious then?” he mumbles into some lettuce.

“Oh my god.” Harry says. “I was joking, mate. Were you really thinking about-”

“Stop.” Liam sighs, raises his head to give him the iciest glare he can manage.

“I mean he does have a nice ass, I’ll give him that.” Harry observes, his biggest shit-eating grin stretched onto his face, and Liam has an internal battle about whether or not to slap it right off of his face.

Liam tries to take refuge in his food again, and ends up smacking his face into the table when Niall pulls his tray away to take some crisps. He lets out an indignant huff and stays like that for a few minutes, cheek pressed flat against it, listening to Harry and Niall talk with Danielle and her friend Eleanor.

“Hi Louis!” Eleanor says at one point, and Liam shoots straight up in his seat, completely in tune again. Harry can’t seem to stop giggling about it. It takes all of Liam’s willpower not to kick him.

Eleanor is talking, rather animatedly, to someone standing behind Liam, he can feel the heat leeching off of their body. He distantly wonders how much of a scene he’d make if he bolted into the hall.

“I didn’t know you and _Louis_ were friends.” Danielle says, giving a look to Liam that screams “ _he’s right behind you oh my god please don’t faint_.” Liam nods at her, she reaches across the table and grabs his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze, a quick hummingbird beat of her fingers before her hand has retreated back into her lap. He gives her an unconvincing smile.

It’s then that Louis pulls up a chair, right next to Liam, and continues chattering away with Eleanor. Harry starts up laughing again, his face bright red and tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

“Liam? Are you okay?” Eleanor asks, because Danielle hasn’t ever really felt the need to tell her about Liam’s little crush.

Louis looks over at him, and Liam can just mumble out an “I’m fine.” without looking up from his hands.

“You sure you’re alright mate?” Louis asks him, and well, that’s just about all he can take.

“I’m fine.” He repeats, and laughs nervously. “Just _daydreaming_.” He glares at Harry, who falls off of his chair giggling like a toddler.

“Alright there Curly?” Louis has one eyebrow raised, and he looks like he’s just about to smile and well, Liam is appreciating having a close-up view.

“Just peachy.” Harry grins wickedly and looks back at Liam. “I think Liam might be-”

“Don’t forget I know where you sleep.” Liam narrows his eyes, and Harry puts his hands up in surrender.

“Point taken.” He laughs, and falls back into his seat.

The rest of their lunch goes a little like this: Liam pines a bit and Louis pays him no more attention. And Liam is okay with that, definitely.

While he’s getting books from his locker Danielle falls in next to him. “He was talking about you. He thinks you’re cute.” She tells him, and Liam rolls his eyes.

“I appreciate you trying to make me feel better about it, but don’t say things like that.” He sighs and runs off after Harry.

“You really should try to talk to him!” she shouts after him, and well, that may not be such a bad idea.

~&~

Liam doesn’t mean to be late going home. It just sort of happens, completely accidental, really.  And it’s completely coincidence that he walks past the auditorium just as a certain Louis Tomlinson is leaving Drama club. Honest.

He doesn’t exactly know what to do when Louis emerges, it’s not like he’s been contemplating how to say hello for at least an hour and still has no idea what the hell to say to him. That’s absurd.  He starts to speak but his limbs betray him and he’s rushing away, digging half-moons into his palms. He ends up standing in front of a bulletin board, scrutinizing a flier a bit too hard until there’s a tap on his shoulder.

“Hmm?” he hums, spinning around, and of course it’s Louis, with his luck, why wouldn’t it be?

“Interested in knitting?” he asks, and Liam’s brow furrows. Louis laughs and gestures at the board, the paper Liam had been looking at announcing a sewing club meeting for the following day. Liam didn’t even know the school _had_ a sewing club. Not that he really cares.

“Um.” Liam says.

“Well I know  _I’m_  interested. They’re swapping techniques!” Louis is grinning and Liam can’t tell if he’s genuinely joking or poking fun at him. Probably poking fun, if he’s being honest with himself.

“Um.” Liam repeats. “I’m just- just thinking of auditioning? For the next musical?” and that’s only a little bit bullshit, because he _has_ been thinking about it, but he doesn’t want to end up the dejected mess he had been after he hadn’t gotten in last time.

“Well can you sing?” Louis asks, and he looks kind of hopeful—Liam really needs to stop seeing what he wants to see—and his eyebrows crease back together.

“Always looking for new recruits.”  Louis smiles, and Liam can only let out another “Um.” because it’s the only thing he seems to know how to say with is brain short circuiting like this. Louis gives him a good-natured, or maybe annoyed, eye roll (Liam can’t really tell which). His slender fingers curl around Liam’s wrist and he thinks he just might die right there.

It takes a moment to register that Louis is dragging him into the auditorium, and _oh god_ Liam is never going to be able to think straight again.

“Um?” oh shit he’s said it again. “What are we-“

“We’re going to see if you can sing.” Louis says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, pushing Liam up the steps and to center stage.

Liam is frozen, his mind lost after something along the lines of:  _Jesus Christ how is this even my life_  flashed through his brain.

Louis is sitting in one of the theatre seats, grinning, and Liam doesn’t exactly know what to do—or how Louis had managed to jump down without Liam even noticing.

“What do I sing?”

“What do you  _want_  to sing?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t exactly been practicing lately.”

“Oh, cry me a river Liam Payne, just sing something.” Liam makes a little noise when he says his name, and he never wants to stop hearing Louis say it. “Come on now, get on with it.”

He starts to sing _Cry Me a River,_ because it makes him seem clever although that’s the only song he really knows sounds somewhere near decent when he sings it.

“Interesting choice.” Louis says, definitely (probably not) fighting off a grin, but Liam isn’t finished.

He manages to finish the song without any more interruptions, cheeks flaming by the time he’s finished.

 “Happy now?” Liam says, and hops down off the stage to grab his bag, mortified. “I tried to audition last year with that song, didn’t turn out. So no, I guess I can’t sing. Now if you’ll excu- _mmmph._ ” Louis lips are on his and  _oh my god he may actually die right there in the middle of the aisle._

“Remind me why I didn’t do that when I first heard you sing last year?” Louis asks, and Liam resists the urge to say “Um.” And he’s quite sure he’s going to fall over if he doesn’t grab onto something.

“I have no fucking idea.” Liam says instead, tangling his fingers in Louis’ hair. “I really don’t.” he adds and kisses him again, hard.

Liam still doesn’t get a role, it’s _Grease_ this time, and Louis bitches to the director until she threatens to not let him play Danny anymore. He takes to silently grumbling about it whenever possible, but Liam, well he doesn’t really mind if he’s being honest.

He sits in the front row every night of the show, and at the final performance after the bows Louis leaps off the stage and kisses him breathless.

The crowd applauds and erupts into wolf whistles and cheers and Liam thinks everything just might be on the way to being the way he wants it to be.

(He also thinks “Um.” Because Louis is getting a little handsy and they’re in front of most of the school and dozens of parents. But then again, he doesn’t really mind that either. Honestly.) 


End file.
